Spotlights

Otterbein’s Second Health Communication Graduate Lands Position with Lifeline of Ohio

Tiffany Eifert ’14 knew she wanted to work in the health-care environment where she could make a difference and help others. She studied for two years to be a nurse but realized patient care was not what she preferred. When she enrolled at Otterbein as a nursing major, she wasn’t sure what her future might hold.

“I learned about the health communication major on Otterbein’s website and realized it was more aligned with what I wanted to do,” Eifert said. “I like the administrative side of health care. I want to be more of an advocate for patients rather than directly caring for them.”

Now Eifert, who for the new health communication major is Otterbein’s second graduate, has been hired by Lifeline of Ohio in Columbus. She will serve as a community educator, travelling to high schools and organizations to relay the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation.

“My professors helped pave the way for an internship with Lifeline and I enjoyed it a lot,” Eifert says. “At the same time my communication classes helped me gain confidence in organizing and giving presentations so I’m well prepared to present to others in the community throughout the state about organ, eye and tissue donation.”

Otterbein’s health comm students identify health communication problems and learn how to solve them, create strategic plans and practice executing them, and manage communications and learn how to tailor them to health-care settings.

Eifert said she learned tremendously from the health comm class field trips and guest speakers that demonstrated how things operate in the health profession. Her classes visited Riverside and Nationwide Children’s hospitals to learn directly from health communicators in the field.

“Those visits helped me see what I might be doing in the real world,” Eifert said. “My internships with Lifeline and Mt. Carmel Health Systems also helped me gain confidence that I could have a career in this field.”